Second Chances
by serenity1347
Summary: Bella and Edward were inseperable in high school, until a tragedy pulled them apart. By chance they meet up again several years later, is this their second chance at true love?


This is a brand new Twilight story I have been working on. Please let me know your thoughts. It will be told with the help of flashbacks to their younger days.

I do not own Twilight and I am making no money from this. Nor do I own Young Americans where I have stolen a few names from.

Chapter 1 – First Meeting, again.

July 2012 –

'Half past ten in the morning and I am already exhausted!' Thought Bella Swan as she lugged what she hoped was the last of the huge plastic boxes out of the boot of her truck and down the hill to where the camp had been set up.

"Thank you so for finishing unloading those, Bella" Sue Clearwater said as she began to unpacked them into the kitchen tent, "I don't think my back would take another one of those boxes."

Bella felt any lingering tiredness melt away as she got down to help with unpacking. Sue Clearwater had been a godsend when she had first moved to Chicago and when she had asked if Bella would be interested in helping out with her Girl Guide group once a week she had initially come along as a favour to the older woman. However she had quickly learnt how much she loved being a mentor to these girls and relished the fun and laughter she had with them.

Now, a year later, she was here helping out with their week long camping trip to the Lakeview Scout and Guide Campsite which was three hours outside of the city. Their day had started with a pre-dawn wake-up call and they still had another few hours of setting up to do before the bus with thirty 11-15 year old hyperactive and overexcited girls arrived.

A few hours later and Bella was feeling pretty good with her efforts for the morning. She had finished unpacking the kitchen tent and had set out the equipment for the girls to construct their own accommodation when they arrived. Deciding to take a few minutes to freshen up she headed towards the facilities to wash her face and hands. Despite being close to the mountains and therefore usually benefitting from a cooling breeze in the summer, today was working up to being fiercely hot. The cold water on her face and the back of her neck felt amazing after her hard work that morning.

Heading back outside she saw Sue chatting to a man she didn't know near the outdoor cooking area. They beckoned her over when they noticed her emerge and she headed over to meet the stranger.

"Bella" Sue said as she approached, "I want you to meet someone. This is Edward Platt, he's the leader of the Woodside Boy Scouts who're camping on the other site here. They're set up on the other side of the facilities block." She gestured to the man beside her; he was around 5'10'' and in his early sixties with a kind face and laughter lines around his eyes. Bella smiled and shook his hand. It was good to know where to find help if they needed it out there as they were a long way from the nearest town and in an emergency another adult was invaluable. "It's just me, Bella and my daughter Leah here with the girls for the week" Sue added. "How long are you and the boys camping for?"

"The same," Mr Platt added, "we actually had to make a last minute swap to our staffing for the week as our helper with first aid training has broken his leg. I've had to rope in my nephew at the last minute but luckily he was able to get the time off work. Here he comes now actually," he beckoned to someone who was approaching our little group from behind me.

I started to turn, and as I did Mr Platt announced to us,

"Let me introduce you. Bella this is - "

I gasped and before I could think I cut him off…

"Edward!"

* * *

_Autumn 2001 – _

_There was something jarring about starting a new school in the middle of the semester, especially when you were going to a boarding school so far from home. Not that I really had a home anymore. I hoped that Rawley Academy would be a place of refuge for me after the turmoil of the last few months._

_I still couldn't really believe I was here if I was honest with myself, these sorts of things happened to other people, I was ridiculously normal in every way. My parents hadn't been anyone special, they had been married straight out of high school and moved to Forks, Washington where Charlie had gotten a job as a sheriff's deputy. He was killed in the line of duty when I was twelve, leaving me with my mother, Renee. I had thought we were each other's only relations until she died this summer from Lymphoma. She was only thirty-five years old. Social workers became involved and they managed to track down an uncle I never knew I had: Phil was fifteen years older than my mother and they had not been in touch since she and Charlie eloped before I was born. He had never married, and worked as a successful academic and author. He spent his time travelling the world and did not seem to relish the idea of taking on a sixteen year old he had never met before. However he did not believe in shirking his duty and as my only relative I became his responsibility. That was how I ended up here – Rawley Academy, a co-educational prep school for 14-18 year olds. It was a long way from anywhere else, a vast campus in the Midwest, freezing in the winter and scorching all summer, but Phil had done his research and according to him, despite it having a reputation for being a little unorthodox, it was the best education money could buy._

_I got out of the taxi and after collecting my bags walked straight into the marbled hall of the school. Everything in the world I now owned was packed away in these suitcases and I could carry them all up the stairs in one go._

_I found my way to the school office, and introduced myself to the older lady at the desk,_

"_Bella Swan", I managed to choke out, "I'm supposed to be starting here today."_

"_Of course dear", she replied, "I'm Mrs Cope, let me show you to your room and then we can sort out your schedule". She led me through a door off the reception and through seemingly endless passageways panelled with oak. The views out of the windows were spectacular, formal lawns around the school buildings and further out the sports fields. In the distance you could make out the mountain range where the first snow of this winter had recently fallen. I followed her up a flight of stairs and through a covered walkway to what seemed to be the girls' dorms. I dumped my bags in the room indicated, noting the number as 47, before following her back to the office. _

"_Now, here's your room key, class schedule and map of the grounds and a list of evening activities. Classes should be letting out soon for the day and we have arranged for a mentor to meet with you here to help you get acquainted with the school. He is in most of your classes so you shouldn't get lost with him, ah, here he is now" I looked up to see a tall, good-looking boy nervously enter the room with a shock of copper coloured hair._

"_Bella, this is Edward"_


End file.
